History of Kalamir
HISTORY OF KALAMIR Here lies a very basic outline of Kalamir's History. The Era of the Old Gods (GE.1-GE.3800) Also known as the Genesis Era, this almost unfathomable stretch of time is completely shrouded in mystery. What exactly happened prior to the creation of the Material Universe and the first sentient beings to inhabit it is up for debate, by anyone, anywhere. What IS known however is that first there was nothing. Just an infinite abyss of darkness peppered with the tiny twinkling lights of distant universes. *'GE.0001 - GE.1300': The planes came into existance starting with the Positive and Negative Energy planes. These opposing, polar opposite energies began swirling around each other at great speed soon forming a spherical shape. The positive energy began gravitating inward on itself giving birth to a sentient, omnipotent, astral being of absolute energy. This being would come to be known as SAROHEIM. On the Negative side of the sphere, the same thing was taking place, but this being would come to be forever be known as NERGOTH. *'GE.1300 - 1600: '''These beings, being of oppisite energies could never come into contact with each other directly. So, using their infinite knowledge and power, they began constructing their own domains in which to rule over. In the Positive domain, Saroheim built the Golden Empyrean, the great high kingdoms of heaven. In the abyssmal depths of the negative planes, Nergoth built the 9 Spheres of Abaddon. The power and energy used to create these places created strange byproducts. A new energy, that permeated both planes, flowing freely throughout the spheres. This would become the '''Plane of Arcana/Divinity' the 2 planes of magical energy that exist to hold all solid/liquid/gas/elemental energies together en masse. *'GE.1600 - GE.2800:' Uncontent with sitting alone in their respective realms, these great 'Gods' created immortal offspring in order to enjoy their newly created kingdoms. Saroheim, using different combinations of energies created 8 beings that would become known as the GODKIN. **'Gylil' **'Yasa' **'Eratar' **'Asodeil' **'Elgotha' **'Aromein' **'Nova' **'Ozrat' *'GE.2800 - GE.2870:' For several decades these beings lived in the heavenly utopia of elysium before the ever curious Yasa found yet another set of planes that seemed to be the divding realm between the higher and lower planes. It seems Yasa had discovered both the Transitive planes of Etheral, Shadow, and Astral energies, the elemental planes, but even further inward he discovered a very curious plane. One of great size where solid matter could be manipulated and used to create an organic, evolving, mortal world. It seemed this central 'Material' plane was the key to accessing and harnessing the ultra-powerful magical planes and positive/negative energy planes. The only problem was, immortal beings couldn't access this plane in their current state, they would have to become demi-gods, with weaknesses and mortality... and form... *'GE.2870 - GE.3100: '''So, the Godkin, one by one were sent into this new 'Material plane'. What they found was a vast dark vaccuum swirling with giant clouds of matter. So, using their great arcane and divine powers they began to manipulate and form these particles and minerals into a orderly celestial body. First they created a hot molten core to keep the planet warm. Then they surrounded this core with a 300 mile thick crust of solid stone armor. Then, they wrapped this barren rock-ball with a sphere of gasses to act as a dome. Finally the Godkin set foot on their creation for the first time. *'GE.3100 - 3115:' The godkin began raising mountains, filling oceans, layering the surface with soil, plant life, trees, then finally, the Godkin Gylil and his close friend Aromein began populating the planet with sentient animals. All of this creation drained the Godkin of their life-force and energy. Soon they came to find that tapping into the outer planes like they did turned them almost completely mortal. Now, they could no longer return to the Golden Heavens above as gods... *'GE.3115 - 3500:' Instead of wallowing in their new found mortality. The Godkin began constructing great buildings of marble, glass, stone, and gold as shrines to their creator Saroheim. By doing this, and devoting all of their thoughts and prayers to Saroheim, they discovered one of the most amazing things... Saroheim could directly influence the realm where the prescence of pure divine thought was located. This gave the Godkin a great idea. So they began pairing up and mating to create sentient offspring, even more mortal then themselves, to populate the planet and worship the gods opening the channels of divinity between the material and higher planes. Soon Gylil gave birth to the Elves, Yasa gave birth to the 'Kai-tju,' Eratar gave birth to the Halflings, Aromein gave birth to the humans, Elgotha gave birth to the Halflings, Nova gave birth to the '''Aanamir', and finally Ozrat gave birth to the Dwarves. Over the next 200 years these newly formed beings would grow and evolve into complex societies and civilizations. *'GE.3500 - 3800:' For 300 years, the Ancropolis, a great floating city of gold, glass, and absolute beauty, would float 1000's of feet above the surface of this newly formed world. Populated by the Godkin and their direct descendents, the creatures below would fall in worship and praise as the great miles wide floating entity passed over there sprawling cities. Built with the help of the Godkin and their Descendents. The direct daughter of Gylil, Arakniat (known as the Feyqueen) began growing tired of this world. She complained that the Godkin didn't allow these creatures to make their own choices. She would tell Gylil that this utopia was a sham and would never last. When Gylil would threaten her with the swift actions of Saroheim towards heretics, she would just antagonize the situation further, even going as far to denounce Saroheim as her God. Then things got worse as she grew older. Her taunting and complaining wasn't enough anymore, she began to experiment with the simple, peaceful folk of the world. First, she came to a human farming village and demanded they give up their first born children and sacrafice them to Saroheim or a terrible curse would be layed upon them. The simple folk, only knowing good, had no idea what that meant, but didnt feel anything was worth giving up what they loved the most. So arakniat slayed them all and burnt the village to the ground. These souls, dying in such a horrifying state, shook the very foundation of the cosmic balance. Suddenly the focus of the transitive and magical planes shifted away from the positive, so harsh was the shockwave of negative energy from the incident, it caused ruptures in the planes... Fire spewed from the eyes of young children, a tidal wave engulfed a sprawling dwarf kingdom, flushing them out of there tunnels and caves, blood poured from rain clouds, this event is called 'The First Suffering'. For this crime Gylil and the other Godkin took Arakniat and locked her in a cell Deep below the Earth to live out the rest of her days alone in the darkness. The Great Scourge (DE.01 - DE.650) The Great Scourge, also known as the Dark Era, or by its most common name THE GODSWAR was a several century long era of horror, cataclysm, war, and death. It's beginning is marked with the return of Arakniat to the surface world from her prison deep in the cavernous crust of the planet. *'DE.01 - DE.67:' After Arakniat was imprisoned, the balance of extra-planar energies never returned to where it was before she commited her heinous crime. Deep in her pitch black prison, sitting for nearly 200 years, arakniat's form began to evolve and change. Soon her eyes adjusted to the darkness, her flesh taking on a jet black color, hair turning stark white. Soon, she began experimenting with what divine/arcane power she could muster from her weak state. Than one day(night?) an answer came from deep in the darkness beyond this world. A powerful, dark voice, responding to her pleas of freedom. Soon, she was able to find this voice in the astral beyond using the smallest bit of materials and energy. She would find creatures crawling around down in these caves, rats, bats, etc, and spill their blood in the most horrific way possible. This seemed to please the voice and give it strength. Then... when going through a routine sacrificial ritual to contact the voice, a fiery door burst open and a slithering, many eyed, shapeless, mass of pure contempt, malice, and evil poured through. This being began showing Arakniat a place where she could have ultimate power, a world where you werent a nanny to your underlings but a slavemaster, a world where they would fear and praise her her and noone else.... *'DE.67 - DE.125: '''One beautiful summer morning, the Ancropolis was floating over the sprawling, jade and wood empire of the elves, when far to the North where the Sea of 3 Crowns is an ever growing trembling wave of great force began to shake the very core of the world. Suddenly, in a brilliant burst of black ash, fiery brimstone, and choking black smoke, the sea parted and the very crust of the earth split intwain creating a chasm 100's of miles long by dozens of miles wide... Then, as the Godkin watched in horror, from the chasm poured a black, all consuming, tidal wave of monstrous vermin, goblinoids, devils, great demons, abyssal horrors, and yes, even orcs. LEading this ravenous, endless stream of hellish nightmares was a massive, half spider, Half elven woman... but it was all wrong, her flesh was obsidian and her hair and eyes white. By her side, the great demonprince and son of Nergoth himself: '''Baphyrm' riding atop a massive, great red wyrm. The Godkin could only watch in awe as this wave of death slowly crept across the land laying evrything to waste. This cataclysm has come to be known The Second Suffering. *'DE.125 - 138:' For 13 years the monsters and beasts roamed the world freely feeding on the innocent and terrified peaceful folk. The godkin, also in shock and terrified realized if they didnt act soon, the hordes of darkness would swallow the material realm, and then maybe even the heavens. So, a counter offensive was raised led by Gylil, Elgotha, Aromein and Ozrat while the rest tended to the mutilated and wounded. The balance of energies in the multi-verse began to shift HEAVILY to the negative causing the divine connection between the material and the higher planes to dwindle and fade like a dying candle. Then, through pure grit, determination, and spirit the forces of good obtained their first victory pushing back the hyena headed beasts of the depraved demonlord YOG. *'DE.138 - DE.420: '''For hundreds of years the battle for the material realms continued. A horrifyingly violent and terrible time for all alive as the world was shrouded in a cloud of dust blocking out the sun and blanketing the world in a decade long winter. The Ancropolis was overthrown and dropped into the ocean taking Yasa and all of his descendents with it. Once their souls ascended to the higher planes, Saroheim rewarded him with a maricle by creating a massive celestial object to orbit the planet and forever reflect the light of the sun on the surface, even in the darkness of the night... when THEY come. Scores and scores of mrtyrs fell by the sword, and after a few generations of living in these conditions, the common races of light no longer feared the beasts. Every generation was stronger and harder than the one before it. The godkin Nova was slain by a great and powerful wizard named Magross at the battle of Magus keep. This wizard was a close ally to Arakniat herself and a very powerful enemy. He somehow mastered the art of mortality through perverted arcane magic. But what came back from the dead was a twisted, vile form... the undead. Gylil and his second descendent, his son Gylad both fell in battle defending the Feywild from the Goblins orcs and trolls led by the Goblinidol '''Egrog'. *'DE.420 - DE.640:' The war raged on. The armies, now led by great mortal heroes rather than godkin, clashed across the burning wastelands, neither giving an inch. Then, Magross, more powerful than ever, swept east with a million ghoul strong army of undead. He marched on the last safe bastion of light and goodness left on the earth, a sprawling fortified city named Ro'Skyrga. The defense was led by Turon Lightlance a mythical heroic figure, half man half god some said. The last planetouched (Aanimar) warrior left. He and an army of 3 million elves, dwarves, halflings... well all that was left... were able to crush Magross and his undead army. Soon the tide began to turn. Morale now high, faith and spirit gave way to heroism and great feats of strength as the last of the godkin died off, great heroes replaced them all. Then, by 628, the forces of evil and darkness had been quelled and began a slow retreat back into the shadows, underground caves/dungeons, and dark recesses of the world. Then, a final showdown, The battle of Odinfire. Arakniat and the last fully mobile assembled army of evil marched on the Uplands. Odinfire was held by three towers known as the Trident. Led by the great-great descendent of Ozrat, Dirvn Burningbeard, a dwarven paladin and cleric of Saroheim, the battle ensued lasting for several fortnights of gruesome, barbaric combat.... until finally... Burningbeard and his men came out the victor, taking the head of Arakniat and sending her army back into the shadowy hell from which they came.... *'DE.640 - DE.650:' After centuries of apocalyptic war, it was finally over. The next decade was spent pushing the last of the vile fiends back into the dark wilds and Underlands of the world. The population of the planet had been decimated. From 3.9 billion to less than 100,000. Standing upon the walls of Ro,Skyrga, a young wizard named Baylor Stormcaster looked out over the decimated, burning, landscape... Time to rebuild. The Era of Barbarians (E1.01 - E1.150) The first official "Era" begins soon after the end of the Godswar. This 150 year period is marred by barbarism, anarchy, and the still looming threat of evil hiding in the shadows of night. *'E1.01 - E1.30:' On the first Summer nightfall of the new Era, the world could be seen staring up into the sky in shocked amazement and quiet awe. For now, instead of the single blue moon of Elgotha, another moon was now present floatinf much lower, closer to the horizon This moon was much smaller, but scarred with craters and a very unpleasent deep crimson. Legend to this day says that the moon arrived upon the anniversary of Arakniat's arrival from the underlands. It is her very soul embodied, to forever duel with Elgotha for control of the darkness. Around Ro'Skyrga, settlements begin to rise, populations begin growing. However, even in peacetime, the mortals of this realm will forever be tainted by the effects of evil. Folk are now capable of both the utmost good, and the most downright wanton destruction. Rampaging hordes of barbarian humans, breeding and multiplying faster than any other race, begin swooping in from the wilds to raid the more civilized lands. *'E1.30 - E1.80: '''For the next 50 years, the now heavily mixed and intergrated societies of the common races begin to form complex political theories and economic/labor philosophies giving birth to Kingdoms, realms, domains etc... The more civilized settlements begin to network and grow. They rely on each other for survival both civically and protection-wise. *'E1.80 - E1.150 - The closing stages of the 1st modern era are marked with the attack on a Skyrpathian military fortress by a horde of undead. Soon, it was found, Magross had returned to the world. Some horrific ritual has brought his dessicated rotting corpse back from the grave more powerful than ever. For the next 46 years he torments the civilized lands from MYtheria to Skyrpathia all the way to Sarovania and Ellira (Now Arcavia). Until finally, one day, a group of powerful warriors united under the banner of common morality and justice set off to find Magross the defiler and destroy him. This group led by Baylor Stormcaster, includes the still living Amon Valoff, Nyra Jadeheart, Grandelmar Bunderbluss, plus 3 now dead: Arron Skylance, Phi'Tjakut, and Doompike. This band eventually found magross' layer, defeated him, and then tried to destroy his phylactery and body which would not and could not be harmed. So they did the next best thing and locked his head, body, and phylactery up in 3 ultra-secret, magically protected tombs scattered throughout the world... The Era of Empires (E2.01 - E2.55) The shortest of the 3 modern eras. The Era of Empires marks the rising and falling of several empires and the 15 year long War of Ironmaw which eventually led to the creation of the Dagrmourn Empire, the fall of the Skyrpathian and Mytherian empires and the rise of the Underland empires. *'''E2.01 - E2.10: '''Skyrpathia, now just a collective of cooperating city-states and realms begins to crumble from the inside out. Fearing the worst, the eldars of Skyrga decide to elect a '''King to oversee and appoint rulers to the loosely connected states in order to establish a strong economic, civic, and military connection. To the South, Dwarven innersquabbling leads to the fracturing of the dwarven empire. West of that, in the freewilds and the Great City of Dagrhelm, a new lord begins winning the hearts and minds of the people everywhere. With an army of thousands he marches upon Dagrhelm. Even farther west, warring houses, tribes, clans, and even orc hordes threaten to tear what civilization is thee apart. *'E2.10 - E2.30:' A man named Lord Kergar Sarosun marches into Dagrhelm with an army of thousands and annexes the city with a bloodless coup. Soon after he begins creating a High Ministry to organize and oversee surrounding settlements. Soon, crumbling settlements and realms begin flocking to Sarosun's banners pledging absolute feality. The Imperial Empire of Dagrmourn is born. Dwarven civil war in the Rundeep causes much ore and mineral mining operations to seize. This has a terrible effect on the world economy. Mytheria takes advantage and begins searching for and mining more Elven steel and Adamantine. However, their constant raping of the natural world turns ugly when they unleash a sleeping Great Ancient Green Wyrm upon Southern Mytheria. In Skyrpathia things continue to look bad as barbarians and monsters begin to pillage and rape outskirt settlements. Then, the final nail in the empire's coffin, Skyrpathians begin to follow "Prophets of Saroheim" claiming all other gods are false. The empire falls back into the dark ages. In the far West, tired of falling victim to the tribes and monsters, the United Principalities of Arcavia is formed and a common trading goal is created allowing the settlements to trade for much more lucrative needed things... *'E2.30 - E2.55: '''When Emperor Sarosun grows tired of overpaying for elven steel or having to ship from the North or West, he decides to conscript dwarven syndicates to begin re-opening closed mines owned by other clans. This triggers the '''Ironmaw War'. A brutal conflict between empires. Due to allegiances, trade agreements, and the such, this single conflict spreadslike wildfire and soon empires are at each other's throats. The Modern Era (E3.01.01 - Now) The modern era has unraveled very slowly. For the last 130 years 5 major empires have ruled over the lands living in realitive peace. Over the last few years however... that has begun to change... *It is now the start of the Growing Season and Spring. The exact date is E3.136 and it is the Cycle of Sarawake' the 3rd of the 7 cycles of the Kalamirian year. *From here I direct you to The Kalamir Players Handbook. Here you will find everything you need to create a player and begin an adventure that could rewrite the past, present, and future.